The lovely Lola London, an LA-based photographer recently commissioned me to design a one-color logo for her business. She wanted a logo that was clean, modern, and easy to drop onto a variety of surfaces (most importantly, as a watermark for her photos).

When developing a logo, there’s nothing wrong with keeping things simple; if anything, take out anything and everything that’s not really needed. Some of the most popular logos are super minimal. Think of the McDonald’s golden arches, the Nike swoosh, or the Apple…apple. A good logo should stand out without ‘screaming,’ it should be timeless, and it should be legible at varying percentages of the original size. Is the logo still defined and easy to read at 50% of its original size or blown up to 200%?

When I design a logo, I try to keep the following concepts in mind:

1. Can the logo be repeated to create a pattern?
This can be useful for the back of a business card, related packaging, wrapping / tissue papers, and textile patterns. Even though the final outcome Lola needed was one color, she can easily use her L’s in fun patterns and play with varying hues:

2. Are the shapes of the logo simple enough that it’s easy to interchange colors?Consider the eventual possibility of branding different parts of your company with the same logo in differing colors. (For instance, a photographer might have a division of art editions and a division of stock photography.)

3. If there’s text accompanying the logo, does it have the potential to look dated really fast?
Stick with classic Serifs and very basic, clean Sans Serifs (yes, Helvetica is a viable option!) Corporations are constantly tweaking their logos.

4. All those so-called rules that were covered in art school can help with a logo design.
Think about repetition, harmony and balance. Don’t be afraid to have fun with gradients and pops of color. Experiment and create a variety shapes.

In closing: A logo is always a sound investment; think of a it as a way of defining and differentiating yourself from your competition.

One of the first things I noticed about Astoria is that the downtown area seemed quite large for a population of only 10,000 people. A hundred years ago, it was the second largest city in Oregon. Astoria’s past sometimes overshadows the present; the Lewis and Clark expedition spent time there and it was the first permanent U.S. settlement west of the Rockies. Certain parts of the city feel frozen in time; buildings look like they haven’t been touched in at least 50 years and original signage is everywhere. Beautiful Victorian houses line the steep hills behind the downtown streets.

From the edge of downtown, you can see the waterfront. Old warehouses, new restaurants, and tiny shops line the pier. Straight out of a storybook…

Nice to meet you!

I'm Shauna, a graphic designer and entrepreneur. I spend my days as the Creative Director of Branch, a boutique design studio. This is my personal blog, which has been going strong since 2007. I'm obsessed with shoes, squirrels and traveling. Read more…

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If have a design question or you're itching for advice in your college education or creative career, please drop me a line at: advice@nubbytwiglet.com.

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